A Memoir From the Trenches

NEXT!

For me, December 26th means Christmas is OVER. Early up, early down. Today the Mama Napalm is gonna be released all over the house. The Mr Fakey Fakerson is coming down, the decorations are gone, the lights are off, the creche is back in it’s humble cardboard box, the mantle is cleared, the bows and scraps of paper find new homes in large black trash bags, and we get movin’ on.

Christmas this year, however, was a lovely one. The first Christmas I can remember enjoying away from my family. Usually I feel a little melancholy and miss being home on Christmas, but either this is actually, after four and a half years, starting to feel like home, or it was just such a nice day I didn’t have time to miss home. Either way, I’ll take it.

The chaos standard was raised early yesterday morning, and didn’t furl until well past bedtime. Our kids were showered in more presents than any children need, and we were able share some of that goodness with dear friends. I am enjoying the relative calm and quiet that occasionally follows the storm, and the boys are watching Cinderella as I sneak this quick post. Abby is snoozing.

Speaking of Abby, yes, she did indeed have a Christmas stocking, completed with about eight hours to spare, thank you very much. Mama played hookey from church on Christmas eve and furiously sewed a stocking for my sweet girl. It’s lacking in a little of the detail her brothers’ have, but there’s time for that later…

Of course, I had Jeff’s stocking made before he was born, and Eric’s by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, and well, what’s a mama to do? That’s what I get for not just buying the cute stockings the stores have… Noooo not me. I have to make the first kid a felted woolen stocking from German vegetable dyed wool… can’t exactly put up a Target special for #2 and #3… drat me. *sigh*

Anyway, hope everyone had a great day… I must be off to un-deck the halls!

Tracy those stockings are amazing – and you too obviously, it would take me WEEKS to get something to look that good and you make it sound like you whipped it out in a few shakes. Now I have stocking envy, what a cool family tradition. What lucky kids.

I took the tree down yesterday. But the rest of the decorations can wait till the new year for us. I love the stockings! My aunt-in-law made one for my first (without asking me first… sigh) and has finally made one for Evan (he’s 4 1/2) and is SUPPOSED to be making another for my 1 year old… She’ll be in high school before she gets her “real” stocking!